NEWS
Bayelsa Govt. Explains Involvement in Signing MoUs by Communities, Firms
The Bayelsa Government says it is involved in signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between communities and corporate organisations in the state in order to protect the communities’ interests.
The Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made the clarification on Tuesday in Yenagoa at a meeting with traditional rulers and people of Brass Local Government Area.
Ewhrudjakpo assured them that the state government would do everything possible to ensure the implementation of the agreement reached between the community and the Brass Fertilizer Company.
He explained that the government intervention in MoUs between the people and the company was to protect their interest and not to scuttle the project as being speculated in some quarters.
Ewhrudjakpo noted that conflicts in most communities in the state were traceable to multinational oil companies’ failure to honour MoUs with the host communities.
He said that henceforth, all MoUs must be signed with the involvement of the state government to avert a situation where corporate organisations renege on agreements.
Ewhrudjakpo said, “Now on the issue of companies not recognising communities, there is a rule/law that states that if you are not a party to an agreement, you cannot acquire right and incur liability.
“If there is an agreement and there is no third party that witnessed the agreement, it becomes a problem because when they (companies) renege, there is nothing you can do.
“So, what government is trying to do is to put an eye to such reneging and watch. It is not take over the running of such MoUs.
“Government wants to ensure that if a company is coming to operate, we must know what the company is coming to do and the content of the agreement they sign with the host community.
“If government knows what you have signed with them, it can then make the companies to implement what they have agreed to do,’’ he said.
In their responses, lawmakers representing Brass II and I Constituencies, in the State Assembly, Omubo Agala and Charles Daniel respectively, commended the state government for taking steps to protect the interest of the people.
They also lauded the state government for providing security in the waterways.
The Chairman, Bayelsa Traditional Rulers Council and Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, urged the state government to prevail on the Federal Government to complete the Nembe-Brass road.
Other traditional rulers present included Chief Baratuaipre Eketei Amaene, the Amanyanabo of Die-ama community, the Acting Clan Head of Akassa Kingdom, Chief P. W. Consul-Oluku and Dr Alali Ikpeyaigula, Amanyanabo of Akabeleu-ama community. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The founders and Senior Pastors of Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), Dr. Paul and Dr. (Mrs.) Becky Enenche, have successfully trained and empowered 100 individuals in agribusiness as part of their commitment to youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
Dr.
Paul Enenche made the announcement during the church’s Thanksgiving and Testimony Service on Sunday, highlighting the initiative as a strategic effort to promote self-reliance and agricultural productivity.According to the cleric, each beneficiary will be allocated at least one hectare of farmland to commence farming activities upon completion of the training programme.
He further disclosed that the beneficiaries will receive monthly stipends to support them until their agricultural produce is ready for harvest.Dr. Enenche noted that the training and empowerment programme represents a significant investment, with each participant’s training costing approximately ₦500,000.
The beneficiaries, who constitute Batch A of the Entrepreneurship Agribusiness Training Programme, graduated from the C.S.S. Farm and Skills Acquisition Centre located along the Keffi–Abuja Road. The entire programme was fully sponsored by Dr Paul,Dr (Mrs.) Becky Enenche and the church as part of their ongoing efforts to empower individuals with practical skills and sustainable means of livelihood.
The initiative reflects the church’s commitment to transforming lives through both spiritual and socio-economic empowerment.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has reaffirmed the commission’s neutrality ahead of the 2027 general election, saying INEC has no candidate or political party to favour.
In a post obtained from INEC’s X handle on Sunday, Amupitan stated this during a visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Amb.
Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, as part of the commission’s stakeholder engagement and preparations for the 2027 elections.The visit formed part of activities surrounding INEC’s planned interactive meeting with staff and readiness assessment at the zonal level.
The INEC chairman was accompanied by National Commissioners, the Acting Director-General of the Electoral Institute, his Chief Press Secretary, Chief Technical Assistant, Chief of Staff, Special Aides and other senior officials of the commission.
Amupitan described traditional institutions as important stakeholders in the electoral process because of their influence and reach within communities.
He said elections were fundamentally about the social contract between citizens and those entrusted with public office, stressing that public trust was essential to the success of democracy.
According to him, INEC has commenced preparations early because of the size and complexity of conducting elections across Nigeria.
He said the commission had moved away from last-minute preparations and was testing, auditing and strengthening its operational systems well ahead of the 2027 polls.
Amupitan assured the Emir that INEC remained committed to neutrality, fairness and transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have no candidates, we have no political party, we have no interest other than the sovereign will of the people of Nigeria,” the INEC chairman said.
He added that the commission would continue engaging traditional institutions and other stakeholders as it intensifies preparations for the 2027 General Election.
The Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), Kano State Command, has deployed personnel to Garko Local Government Area to track and contain dogs suspected to be infected with rabies.
The service said the suspected rabid dog had bitten 18 people in Garko and its environs.
The NFSS State Commander, Abdullahi Al’ameen, disclosed this in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the service, Usman Abdullahi-Umar, on Sunday in Kano.
Al’ameen said: “The command received a distress report at about 2 p.m. that a dog suspected to be rabid has attacked residents in Garko town.
“The dog has so far bitten 11 persons in Garko town before moving to neighbouring communities, including Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai.
“It has also attacked and bitten seven additional persons in the affected communities.”
The commander further explained that they had received another report that two more dogs had been infected with rabies in the area.
Al’ameen said personnel of NFSS Garko Division, under the leadership of the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, had been deployed to the affected areas to track and contain the infected dogs.
He urged residents of Garko and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.
The commander also advised residents who might have been bitten by suspected rabid dogs to seek immediate medical attention.
Al’ameen assured residents that the NFSS would continue to monitor the situation and take necessary measures to prevent further attacks.(NAN)
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